GARY T. KUBOTA / GKUBOTA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Coast Guard vessels patrolled Kahului Harbor yesterday as the Hawaii Superferry left Maui to return to Oahu. The Superferry's one-time trip to and from Maui to return stranded vehicles went without reports of any incident.

One-time ferry voyage reunites cars, owners

WAILUKU » The vehicles of about 100 Oahu and Maui residents were returned to their respective islands yesterday afternoon nearly two weeks after being stranded when the Hawaii Superferry was forced to stop service to Kahului Harbor.

The reuniting of the vehicles with their island of origin occurred thanks to a modified court order that allowed the Superferry a one-time trip to the harbor.

The arrival and departure went without interruption, with only one protester, a Maui man on the beach near the harbor holding a sign that read: "Super Slimy."

Maui Circuit Judge Joseph Cardoza issued a temporary restraining order on Aug. 27 halting the 2-day-old operation of the Superferry at Kahului Harbor, after the Hawaii Supreme Court ruled that an environmental assessment of the inter-island service was needed.

Cardoza is scheduled to hear arguments tomorrow on whether to issue a preliminary injunction to halt the operation until the environmental assessment is completed. The Superferry's Kauai service was suspended after protesters blocked the vessel from docking at Nawiliwili Harbor.

Many residents returning to Maui yesterday said they were happy to have their vehicles home and grateful that the Superferry was reimbursing them for additional costs, including car rental and air fare.

GARY T. KUBOTA / GKUBOTA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Superferry customer Natalie Sagon and her car are together again on Maui after the ferry makes a court-approved trip to return vehicles stranded by a court-ordered shutdown.

Kaneohe residents Jim Nash and his girlfriend, Sid Peacock, said they supported the Superferry as a means of interisland travel.

"I think it's a great addition," said Nash, who got Peacock's vehicle back home yesterday. "It was great to be able to conveniently go up Haleakala."

Chris Harder, a Kihei resident, said he's been told by Superferry officials that he will get $578 for air fare and car rental. "They were real nice," Harder said.

Harder said using the ferry to carry his vehicle to another island is much more pleasant than flying between airports and renting a car.

"From a layman point of view, going over and coming back -- it was awesome," he said.

Harder said he would be disappointed if state officials didn't let the Superferry operate while completing an environmental assessment.

Maui resident Natalie Sagon said she had mixed feelings, although she sees mostly good coming out of the interisland ferry service.

"I think there's good and bad," she said. "I think the consumers are caught in the middle."

Sagon said she did miss some days of work and felt that although Superferry officials agreed to reimburse her for the flight and car rental, they could have been more accommodating when customers went to the docks.

"There was no one to greet us and apologize for the inconvenience," she said.

Sagon said that rather than reimburse people, Superferry officials should have arranged for the car rentals.

Terry O'Halloran, director of business development for the Superferry, said he thinks officials were able to reach most of the customers. O'Halloran said the business has been reimbursing people for their expenses.

"A lot of people have been inconvenienced, and we realize that," he said. "We've been receiving tremendous support from the people of Maui."